On July 11, 2006 I hiked in the Santa Monica Mountains and took this photo. Below the skyline, you see the Westside of Los Angeles, which is shrouded in visible black smog: Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Westwood, Beverly Hills.
On May 22, 2006, the top of the news in Los Angeles: People living in Los Angeles have fifteen times the national average for cancer risk on account of cars, diesel trucks, and factories putting toxins in the air. Go to www.scorecard.org to learn about our major polluters and where they are located.
On July 11, 2006 I hiked in the Santa Monica Mountains and took this photo. Below the skyline, you see the Westside of Los Angeles, which is shrouded in visible black smog: Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Westwood, Beverly Hills.
And then a few days later, headlines were:
Study Doubles Estimate of Smog Deaths
--------------------Study Doubles Estimate of Smog Deaths --------------------USC researchers amass measurements of lethal particulate matter from hundreds of locations in the L.A. Basin. State may raise its official figures.By Janet WilsonTimes Staff WriterMarch 25 2006The number of deaths from breathing sooty smog in California may be more than twice as high as previously estimated, based on a recent USC study that examined the risk of such deaths in the Los Angeles Basin. The complete article can be viewed at:http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-smog-25mar25,0,756483.story Visit latimes.com at http://www.latimes.com
I don't mean to be an alarmist. And the spiritual component of living in a robust city may be worth certain risks. I can't say. But I can say that when I was in my twenties, I had thyroid cancer. I have reason to believe it was environmentally induced (story for another time), which is why if I can avoid it, I'd prefer not to breathe sooty air. Surgery is no fun. Neither is being dependent on a little pink pill. Though I'm grateful for modern medicine in light of modern ailments due to modern dirty technologies. I'm fine now. I'd like to stay fine. Wouldn't you? Well, we do our best with the information we have. Speak up. Make changes. And life goes on. Some of us may move on. Where?
